Soren Skywalker
by ChaosCarlos
Summary: AU. A teenage boy recieves injuries that are all too familiar to Luke and Leia so they decide to help.
1. Soren

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas and 20th Century Fox.

* * *

The mechanical breathing reverberated off the white walls of the recovery room, it was eerily chilling to the medical staff who remembered a similar being visiting their hospital years ago. Many of the nurses pitied their latest patient who would no doubt be tormented for simply existing this way. The wounds inflicted on the galaxy were still fresh and few had forgiven the empire for what it had done to them.

It had been five years since the death of both Emperor Palpatine and his apprentice Darth Vader, but the galaxy was still torn by conflict from remnants of the empire. Those few too proud to admit defeat and those too consumed by greed to relinquish their power.

Now lying in a bed in a hospital on Corecaunt encased in a life-support suit was one who had been caught in the cross-fire. Fifteen year old Soren Jakar's parents had fought and died for the rebellion, fighting for a cause they'd believed in. His father was pilot who had been killed during the attack on the second Death Star. His mother on the other hand had been captured two years previously, was tortured and then executed for treason. It had been a hard life for Soren since then, he had no living relatives and was sent to an orphanage on one of the mid-rim worlds controlled by the Alliance.

After five years he had finally come to terms with the loss of his parents when one of the few Star Destroyers still in operation had attacked. Desperate to evacuate as many children from the planet as possible before ground troops landed they packed almost ten-thousand into three transports, however fate had something else in mind for Soren Jakar. As his transport attempted to break orbit they came under fire from several TIE-fighters that destroyed their engines, only a quarter of the children made it to the escape pods before the ship crashed and exploded.

Soren who was still aboard had somehow miraculously survived, however not without suffering severe burns across most of his body, the loss of his left leg, right arm and was inhaling dangerous amounts of smoke and gas. He was found two hours later and put on the first medical ship (_that had accompanied Rouge Squadron and several New-Republic battleships_) to Coruscant.

So now here he was, finally coming out of his comatose state after three weeks. The doctors had done all they could but the burns and the damage to his lungs were deemed irreversible and now he had to spend the rest of his life encased in a life-support suit wearing an eerily familiar mask. The doctors feared many would find it difficult to seperate the boy from the memories of Darth Vader.

Just outside the room on the other side of the observation window stood Leia Organa-Solo and her twin brother Luke Skywalker. They'd heard about the boy and what he'd have to endure for the rest of his life, they'd hoped to be of some help to him for all his parents had done for the rebel alliance and everything he himself had gone through. It was a tense moment for both of them. Finally Luke decided to break the silence.

"I knew his father." Leia looked towards him, sorrow evident in her eyes. "He was a good pilot and a good friend." He tried to hold back his own tears, he still wasn't quite used to the feeling of loss that accompanied the death of a friend or loved one but he hid it well when the situation called for it like any good Jedi would. They were drawn back towards Soren when they heard him moan. It sent a shiver down Leia's spine, it was almost too similar to the mechanical voice of a man she'd hated most of her adult life.

Doctor Korban was at Soren's side almost instantly, he understood how much of a shock this new situation could be to the young man. He would not only be left physically scarred but emotionally aswell.

* * *

Blackness. That's all Soren knew as he regained consciousness. He remembered the evacuation, the transport ship and the TIE-fighters, but nothing else after that. His mind was foggy, he could almost recall something else but it was just out of his reach. He tried to open his eyes and was shocked. He was looking through some kind of mask, it had halo-enhanced eye lenses for some reason. He was slightly confused since usually only people who have suffered severe damage to their eyes used them...'_oh no!_' he thought. He must have been injured after the TIE-fighters had attac-wait a minute, what's that noise? It sounded like someone breathing...then he suddenly realized, it was him. He was wearing some kind of oxygen mask that covered his entire face. What had happened to him!? 

"Soren?" Someone was calling his name. "Soren, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Wait, why did his voice sound like that? It sounded, much deeper and artificial. Someone gasped. Was his voice that shocking? "What happened to me?"

"What do you remember?" Considering his condition he assume a doctor was talking so he must be in a hospital.

"I remember being on a transport with other children we were being followed by Imperial TIE-fighters and then...I don't remember." The doctor sighed. It almost sounded in relief, but why?

"Soren, what I'm about to tell you is going to be very shocking and painful to hear, but you have a right to know." The doctor looked up towards something on the other side of the room, then nodded. "Your transport was shot down. We'd found you in the burning wreckage, somehow you'd managed to survive. However, you've lost your right arm and your left leg, we've had to attach cybernetic replacements in their place. Also, you've suffered burns to almost every part of your body, your eyes have been damaged to the point where you'll need the use of halo-enhancers to see properly." He paused, letting Soren absorb it all in. He was right, it was shocking, however there seemed to be more he needed to say. "Finally, your lungs." This worried Soren, but he needed to know. "You inhaled a dangerous combination of smoke and various gases that have damaged your lungs beyond our ability to heal. I'm afraid that if you want to live you're going to have to wear that mask for the rest of your life."

Soren was speechless, he felt pain and anger welling up inside him. He wanted to cry out, to beg them to try something, anything to heal him. But he couldn't. He was suddenly overwhelmed with sobs of anguish. He wanted his mother, his father, anyone to wake him up from this nightmare. He held his gloved hands to his mask and sobbed openly, not caring who saw or heard him.

* * *

Leia was standing at the observation window crying silently at the sight of the sobbing boy before her, he was obviously in a great deal of pain. She wished she could do something, anything to help him. She looked to Luke and he nodded. He knew that if he didn't have anyone to comfort him in this moment of need then he would probably become as twisted as Vader was. Leia entered the recovery room and took one of his gloved hands in hers. She stroked his hand and he turned his head to look at her. 

"It's ok, you're not alone, you don't have to go through this alone." Surprisingly he felt comforted by her words, he had no idea who she was but he felt better knowing someone was there for him.

"Who...are...you?" He asked between sobs. He thought he'd seen her somewhere before but couldn't for the life of him figure out where.

"I'm Leia Organa-Solo and this-" She motioned to a man who had come to stand behind her. "-is my brother, Luke Skywalker." His sobbing was now coming to a stop and when the names finally resisted in his mind his eyes widened, though they couldn't see it. The heroes of the Alliance? Here!? With him!? It begged the question, why?

"Could we have some privacy please." Leia wasn't about to let the doctor or his nursing staff in on what was about to be said, there was no telling who was still loyal to the empire and who wasn't. The doctor nodded and led the nurses out of the recovery room.

Sensing his sudden confusion Luke spoke up. "We're friends of you parents. We'd heard what had happened to you and we came over as soon as we could." This only confused Soren even more, so Luke decided to lay the big one on him. "Our father was in a similar situation as you're in now. We've learned the hard way of what injuries like these can do to a person. Our father had no one to comfort him, no one to help him through his pain so he became twisted." Leia snorted, she wouldn't have just called him twisted, but this wasn't the time for that.

"What Luke's trying to say is that we don't want what happened to him to happen to you. We're here for you, if you need someone to talk to then we're here." Soren was trying to piece it all together, she'd heard that Princess Leia of Alderaan and Jedi Knight Skywalker were long lost brother and sister who had been separated to protect them from the Emperor, but he'd never heard mention of their real father, Anakin Skywalker surviving the purges. His sudden curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to your father?" At this Leia and Luke both looked rather uncomfortable, they knew he'd ask but they were both silently hoping they wouldn't need to answer that particular question. The only people who knew about their real father were Han, Chewie, Admiral Ackbar, Lando and Mon Mothma. They didn't want it to become public knowledge due to the fresh scars still left over from the rule of the empire. They didn't believe the New Republic was ready for that piece of news just yet.

"As you may be aware our Father was a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker." To this Soren nodded "What nobody else knows is that Anakin Skywalker didn't die during the Jedi Purge, he led it." Luke could sense Soren's shock and confusion double so he thought he better just come out and say it. "Our father was manipulated by the emperor and turned to the darkside, he became Darth Vader."

"Your father was Darth Vader!" It wasn't so much a question as an outlet for his shock. They remained silent for a number of minutes so Soren could digest this latest piece of information. He could tell by the pain in Luke and Leia's eyes that they had suffered in the knowledge of their fathers identity. He'd read that Princess Leia had been tortured by Vader shortly before the first Death Star had been destroyed, to find out that she had been tortured by her own father whether they both knew or not must be a pain beyond comprehension. He couldn't help but feel sorry for them both. Then it struck him that maybe they're supporting him was not only because they truly wanted to help him but because they were also trying to, in a way forgive their father for his past deeds by helping someone in a similar situation. He couldn't help but smile at the thought, sure he may not be able to see or feel the light of day again with his own senses but perhaps they could help each other through their mutual pain.

Luke sensed the turn in their young friend's mood and smiled to himself. Just one more piece of business to wrap up then.

"Soren, Leia and I have been talking and we'd like to invite you to live with us at our home. Leia has all the documentation ready to remove your status as a ward of the state so that we can become your legal guardians." Soren didn't know what to say, after five years, five long lonely years he was finally going to have a home! Fresh tears were flowing down his scarred cheeks, but these weren't tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. In a twisted sort of logic he had to thank those TIE-fighters for shooting his transport down, for now he had a home. He could only nod his head in acceptance, not trusting his voice even if it was mechanical now.

And so on that day Soren Jakar was no more, he was now Soren Skywalker.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

This story is an AU. I'm not entirely sure about my drama/angst writing abilities but hey, won't learn if you don't try. Anyway read and enjoy, R&R welcome.


	2. Adjustments

Soren jerked awake from his slumber. Another nightmare. He'd been having them ever since he woke up in the hospital a week ago. They were always the same, first he felt like he was falling then there was a sudden burst of heat and light followed by unbearable pain shooting through his entire body. The psychatrist had told him that they were probably his repressed memories about the crash since he still couldn't remember anything after the TIE-fighters started shooting at them.

He got up from the sofa in Leia's lounge, not wanting to disturb Leia or Han, especially not Han, that grouch. Leia had recently discovered that she's a month pregnant. Soren had argued that he should move in with Luke now that conditions have changed, Han was very much in agreement. But Leia had disagreed saying that her being pregnant doesn't change anything and Luke's apartment (_which is just down the hall_) didn't have enough room for his hyperbaric chamber. Ah yes, _his_ hyberbaric chamber. He had to eat in it, bathe in it and sleep in it...well he would sleep in it if the damn thing had come with a bed! Somehow the genius' who had constructed it had forgotten to add that simple feature, their excuse being that they'd only needed to build them for a single client in the past and he had never wanted a bed in his. So he was left to sleep on the sofa until a team of engineers could come round to '_re-decorate_' as Han had put it.

And now we come to Han. The moment he walked through the door to meet Han for the first time he was met with a blaster pointed at his face...er mask. Obviously Han Solo had very few fond memories of the deceased Sith Lord. When things had finally calmed down and Leia had began explaining to Han, the man had gone ballistic saying they weren't charity workers. To say that had hurt Soren's feelings would have been an understatement, he'd always respected the corellian smugger turned war-hero. Now to have one of his hero's who he believed had worked alongside his parents talk about him like he was some kind of diseased animal a four year old child had '_found_' in the park and asked if they could keep. Well that had practically killed him. Thankfully Luke was nearby and had used that Jedi-radar of his and sensed how hurt the boy was by Han's reaction.  
Not many people can claim to have seen Luke Skywalker angry, even fewer can claim to have seen him down right furious, but when Luke had picked up on Soren's feelings he'd practically blown the roof off the building when he started shouting at Han. Han's anger soon turned to shock and amazement, he'd never seen Luke that furious before, especially not at him. Luke went on in graphic detail on all of Soren's injuries and the reason why. Apparently Leia had only gotten so far as saying Soren was staying with them when Han had blown his top, but now that he knew how much the boy had suffered at the hands of the empire, he'd softened up a bit, but not by much.

Han was still rather stand-offish around Soren and often stiffened when he heard his mechanical breathing or his deep, artificial voice. Obviously Han still had a lot of issues to deal with about his torture at the hands of Vader. He and Leia had recently gotten into several arguments about him going to see a psychiatrists about it, but with typical corellian stubbornness he argued that he was perfectly fine and didn't need to talk to anyone about anything. Leia had booked him an appointment anyway and told him if he didn't go he could sleep on the couch to which Han replied that Soren already had the couch, Leia not to be out-done then told him he could sleep with the droids. The thought of having to sleep in the same room as '_goldenrod_' was all the motivation that was needed, the next day Han saw the psychiatrist.

That had been yesterday and Han had been a grouch all day. But now at least they'd both found some common ground, but apparently he still didn't like having him in the apartment since he'd readily agreed to his suggestion to move out.

He had been waking up in the middle of the night after his nightmares for days now and it often left him unable to get back to sleep, which often ended up with Soren getting bored out of his mind. There weren't that many things he could do this late into the night and his new appearance and disability shortened that already limited list considerably. He'd been quite an accomplished swimmer before his '_accident_', but now all hopes of ever going into the water again had sunk.

He was about to give up and try to get back to sleep when Han walked into the lounge. The lights were off but Soren didn't need lights to see, his holo-enhanced eyes adjusted appropriately to all lighting conditions. Han was quietly stalking across the room hoping not to disturb Soren who he believed was still asleep.

"What are you doing up Captain Solo?"

Han stopped dead in his tracks and stiffened slightly. He looked towards the sofa and saw in the dim lights of Coruscant coming through the window that it was unoccupied. Soren told himself that he should probably get a suit and helmet in various different colours if he wants to distance himself as much from the memory of Dearth Vader as possible. It would probably help if people could see him at night, unless he wants to get run over by a passing speeder. Han realizing that this was **his** apartment (_even though the lease is in Leia's name_) decided he should be asking the question.

"What are you doing up kid?" Soren didn't like having his questions ignored, especially by a scruffy looking nerfherder like Han Solo.

"I asked first." Soren wasn't raised to be rude, no on the contrary his parents had drilled the rules of politeness and good manners into him, but sometimes he'll meet someone like Han Solo and politeness just doesn't cut it, so the direct and to the point route has to be taken.

Han for his part was momentararily shocked. '_So the kid's got a backbone after all eh?_/i' he thought to himself, well he could respect that. Soren had survived the loss of two limbs, total bodily disfigurement, his eyesight and the ability to breathe without assistance. If he could survive all that then one corllian freighter captain should be nothing. Yup, Han had to respect the kid for his resilience if nothing else, so he let the kid win the battle of wills...this time.

"Hey I was just askin'. Anyway I was just gonna get some Jawa Juice, you want some?" Han's brain had always been slower than his mouth, as soon as the words were out he felt like a mynock. Soren couldn't eat anything outside his hyperbaric chamber and he detested being reminded of it. Leia had once asked Han how he was still alive with that mouth of his, to which Han replied that lady luck was always on his side. This time however he didn't really feel very lucky.

There was a sudden uncomfortable silence between the two. Han didn't need to be a force sensitive to know that Soren's mood had darkened, he watched as the boy stalked towards the window and just stood and watched the late night traffic fly past. Han knew there wasn't anything he could say or do to make it up to the boy and if he went to get his drink now he'd just be rubbing it in his face. Han Solo was many things he was rude, ill-mannered and at the worst of times down-right uncivilized but what he wasn't was spiteful. He decided the best thing to do would be to go back to bed and that's exactly what he did.

---

Over the next week Soren found himself being enrolled into one of the finest schools on Coruscant. Unlike Luke who had very little experience with school since everyday on Tatooine was a life and death struggle with the vaporators, Soren had a fairly decent education. He could speak two languages (_Basic, Huttesse)_ and could understand Shyriiwook the language of the Wookies.

It took another four days to completely enroll him which was fortunate since school started two days later. When he was asked if he wanted any special arrangements to be made he instantly replied with a stubborn "_no_". He had no intention of having people feel sorry for him or make special arrangements for him, he wanted his life to be as normal as possible.

---

The various reactions when he started school was as he expected, shock and terror. Rumours started almost as soon as he walked through the door, varying from _'I heard he's Vader's son!_' to '_You think they cloned him?_' He tried not to let it get to him and was successful for the most part, but of course sometimes the back talk just hurt.

The next day the school was inundated with inquiries and complaints from parents and the media wanting to know if these rumours of Vader's son/clone were true or not. For the most part the school refused to comment to the media stating that it would be a violation of their students privacy and reassured parents that the individual in question was not Vader or his son.

School continued as normal, Soren refused to take time off until the media got bored and the parents stopped complaining, stating that if they didn't like him then that's their problem not his, which got an approving smile from Han. Of course Luke and Leia were both worried, they realized that people would be shocked by his presence but they didn't count on this much hassle.  
Eventually Luke and Leia had sat Soren down to talk about the situation and it was decided that Leia would explain the circumstances of Soren's condition to everyone in a press conference. They'd tried to convince Soren to make the announcement but he refused, saying that he already felt like he was on display and having to explain his condition to billions of people across the galaxy wasn't going to help.

---

The press conference took no time at all to set-up. The school's headmistress had graciously offered the use of the schools small auditorium that would easily fit all the journalists that would be coming. In no time at all the day of the press conference had arrived and every journalists from the most respected core world news-networks to the sleaziest outer-rim tabloids had come. Although he had refused to do the talking Soren didn't want to hide behind his guardians, he'd decided to sit in on the press conference so that everyone could get a good long look at him.

The reaction when he appeared on stage was a collective gasp which he'd become accustomed too recently. Obviously most of these journalists thought it was all a hoax and there was no _Vader Child_, but the unmistakable sound of his breathing was a dead giveaway that he was very much real. As soon as they'd recovered from their amazement they started shouting questions at him.

_"Are you really Vaders son? Who was your mother? Are you a clone? Can you use the force? Did your father buy you any slave girls? Why are you living with the leaders of the rebellion? What species are you? What's your favourite type of woman? Do you..."_

The questions seemed to be never ending, it wasn't until Luke and Leia rushed onto the stage and called for everyone to "shut up or the press conference is canceled" did everyone quiet down and Soren relax into his chair. Eventually Leia decided it was time to just get it over with as fast as possible.

"Members of the Galactic Press, some of you have no doubt heard the rumours of about our young friend here. What none of you have heard is the truth behind his condition. Firstly I'd like to introduce you all to Seron Jakar." At this she turned and motioned towards Seron. "Seron is the son of Aeron and Mila Jakar who were both members of the rebellion, who I'm afraid were both killed by the empire. Seron being their only living child was sent to an orphanage on a mid-rim world controlled by the Alliance, he lived there for five years until just over two months ago an Imperial Star Destroyer arrived to invade his home. Thousand of children were placed on transports hoping to get them to safety, however Soren's transport was shot down while attempting to leave orbit. His ship was pulled back by the planets gravity and went crashing back down into the surface. Seron was the only survivor."

She paused for a few moments hoping to give them some time to digest the story before moving on.

"When he was rescued two hours later it was discovered that he'd lost his right arm and his left leg. The majority of his body had been burned, leaving him scarred for the rest of his life." She decided to leave out the problem with his eyesight. "and lastly his lungs had been so badly damaged by inhaling smoke and gases produced by the flaming wreckage that he can no longer breathe without that mask or a special hyperbaric chamber. My brother and I took it upon ourselves to look after him, we are now his legal guardians and he now goes by the name Seron Skywalker. That is all, thank you for your patience but I will not be answering questions."

She, Luke and Seron left as quickly as possible before the mob of journalists could block off thier escape. They're part in all this was over now, it was over to everyone else now to learn to accept Seron for who he really is.


	3. Revelations

_Three days after the press conference_

Luke Skywalker was sitting cross legged on the floor of his apartment in a deep meditative state. He'd decided to take some time out of teaching at the academy so he could continue to help Soren, but lately he'd been feeling a slight disturbance in the force. It didn't feel like something dangerous was on the horizon but it did peak his curiosity. So for the last two days he'd been meditating hoping the force would reveal whatever was behind this mystery.

'_Blind he is!_' Said a voice. Luke couldn't hear or see who was talking but he felt a familiar presence in the force. Luke's eyes flew open in shock, he hadn't felt this presence in almost five years!

"Master Yoda?" Luke called out. There was no answer. Luke stood and sighed in disappointment, he had missed the little green troll...

'_Troll I am not!_' Luke spun around and there before him was the glowing '_ghost_' of Master Yoda.

"Master Yoda! It's good to see you." Yoda smiled at his former padawan, proud of the man he had become. Then he scowled, remembering the insult Luke had been thinking just moments before.

'_Hmph! Still judge by size and appearance do you! The son of Skywalker indeed you are!_'

Luke had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing, positive that Yoda had missed his true calling as a stand-up comedian. That thought wasn't missed by Yoda who again 'hmphed' in false offence. But his time in the physical plane was short and he had to get on with the reason he was here.

'_Sense a disturbance in the force have you?_' Luke nodded not saying anything hoping Yoda would help him understand what the force was trying to tell him. '_The boy you rescued, force sensitive he is._' Luke frowned, Soren certainly didn't feel like a force sensitive.

"Master I think your mistake-" However he wasn't allowed to finish.

'_Mistaken I am not! Force sensitive the boy is._' Yoda's ethereal features softened as he went on. '_Long ago discovered a drug that blocked a person's connection to the force it the Jedi did. Forbidden it was for centuries but when came to power the Emperor did reveal its secret to Senator Bail Organa did I in the hopes of saving many force sensitive younglings. This boy given the drug was he, as were you and your sister to better hide you from the Emperor._' Luke was again confused.

"But I can use the force and so can Leia to a degree, how can we use the force if you gave us this drug?"

'_Last forever the drug does not, with age it degrades until force sensitive again a person becomes._' Yoda hobbled over towards a table that stood across from Luke where he stared at a recent holo taken of Luke, Han, Leia and Soren just before Soren's first day of school. Both Han and Soren looking as uncomfortable as possible due to their close proximity to each other. '_Wearing off the drug is for young Soren, powerful in the force he will become. Train him you must or consumed by his pain and anger like your father he will be._'

With that Yoda faded once more into the netherworld of the force.

"Wait! Master Yoda!" Luke shouted. It was however in vain, Yoda was gone. Luke sat back down on the floor, his mind reeling with this new development. It looked like he was going to have to pull Soren from his new school and back to Yavin IV to begin his training. This wasn't going to be pretty. He could already see the media claiming he was training a second Vader. The most difficult part in all this will be having to yank the carpet from under Soren once again, pulling him from school, moving him to a new planet and forcing him to come to terms with his pain and anger sooner than he was prepared for before it destroyed him. Leia wasn't going to like this one bit.

* * *

_At the same time Yoda was talking to Luke another force 'ghost' was making an appearance of his own in Soren's hyberbaric chamber._

Soren was relaxing as much as he could in the chair that had come with his chamber, he'd discovered it wasn't all that comfortable but he wasn't prepared to make another fuss about it. The engineers who'd come to install his bed had grumbled and complained about re-designing his hyberbaric chamber in one day when it had taken two weeks to build. He thought he'd wait a month or two for the engineers to forget about him and his bed before he asked for a more comfortable chair, so for now he'd just have to make do.

He was currently in the middle of eating his midday meal when something in the back of his mind told him to turn around. When he did so he almost jumped out of his skin! (_Which Soren thought would have been an improvement._) Standing before him was a man in his mid 20's who was...glowing blue?

"Wh-who are you?" Asked Soren. '_Never mind who he is! How the hell did he get in my chamber without me noticing!?_' He'd quickly dismissed the fact that it was a hologram since his hyberbaric chamber had no holographic projectors installed. So that left him with either an intruder or Han's idea of a practical joke.

'_**You don't need to be afraid. My name is Anakin Skywalker.**_'

Soren tensed. Standing before him was Darth Vader himself! Anakin scowled when he picked up the thought. This was going to be harder then he thought. With a sigh he took a step towards Soren.

"Don't come near me!" The boy had practically flown out of the chair towards his mask, as soon as it was in his hands he hit the 'open' button and as quickly as possible pulled the full facial mask over his head and into place before any of the air from the outside got in. Not caring about his small cranial-helmet that he wore to hide the rest of his scarred head, he jumped out of the chamber and made his way towards the door and hit the release mechanism. Nothing happened.

'_Calm down my young friend, Anakin won't hurt you._' Soren spun around again and saw another glowing intruder. '_My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Perhaps you've heard of me?_' Indeed Soren had, he'd learned all about General Kenobi who was a great leader and warrior during the clone wars. He relaxed a little and looked around, the first intruder was gone, leaving just himself and...wait...Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead!

"You can't be General Kenobi! He was killed by Darth Vader years ago!" Obi-Wan sighed, the boy had never seen a force '_ghost_' before so obviously would think more of what Obi-Wan would refer to as '_Han-appropriate thoughts_'. The boy had most definitely inherited his father's Corellian beliefs that '_if you can't see it then it isn't real_' attitude and that no doubt extended into his belief in the force. Of course he was somewhat of a paradox. The boy idolised Luke because he was a Jedi and he'd stood up to Darth Vader, but thought the force was just a load of superstitious non-sense. If Obi-Wan were still alive he knew he'd by now have a headache the size of Beggar's Canyon.

'_I can assure you Soren that I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, just because I no longer have a body doesn't mean I cease to exist._'

Soren was still rather sceptical of this blueish man-ghost thing that called itself Obi-Wan Kenobi. His father had been Corellian and Corellians didn't believe is superstitions or fairy tales. His mother on the other hand had been Alderaanii and they _DID_ believe in the force. When he was younger, before his parents had been killed they would often get into arguments about his education regarding the force. It was often a never-ending battle between the two, so they both took it upon themselves to secretly educate him about their beliefs when the other was away. It was often confusing and left him wondering if his parents were sane but now he wondered if his mother had been right all those years ago.

"Lets say I believe you, what do you want with me?" Obi-Wan smiled '_At least it's a step in the right direction_' he thought.

'_I'm simply here as your friend and mentor just as I was to Luke so many years ago._' Soren didn't understand, what could a deceased Jedi Master possibly have to mentor him about? Soren ran as many conclusions in his mind as possible and could only find one, all the stress and pressure of the last few weeks had finally driven him mad. It was then that Anakin decided to reappear next to Obi-Wan hoping his presence wouldn't disturb the boy a second time.

'_**Hello again. I hope I didn't scare you earlier my friend.**_' Soren's mind was still rather jumbled up. He didn't know what to believe right now, or even if he was still sane. It was then that he suddenly remembered what Luke had taught him about clearing his mind and finding focus to make sense of things. He found it really helped with his homework. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and cleared his mind of all his thoughts and doubts. It was than that he suddenly felt something new flickering about in the back of his mind, something that hadn't been there before. And for some reason he felt a calming blanket surrounding him, encasing him but it wasn't as claustrophobic a feel as his mask and suit when he worse them for the first time it was more than that, a deeper sense of calmness and understanding.

Soren's eyes suddenly shot open and he thought '_What in the nine Corellian hells was that!?_' He then noticed that Obi-Wan and Anakin were still there, both smiling almost smirking at what had just happened.

"What was that? I could...feel..or..it..what?" Obi-Wan took a step forward and placed one of his ethereal hands on one of Soren's shoulders. Surprisingly he could feel his hand on him. But due to the suit he could tell if it felt like a real hand on some ghostly phantom-hand.

'_What you felt my young friend was the force. You are taking your first steps towards a grander understanding of yourself and the world around you. You need not be afraid, however I should warn you that you must not let your emotions rule you. Anger, fear and hate are of the darkside, be weary of them or you will suffer a similar fate as Anakin did._'

Soren was more than confused now, he was lost in a forest of information that had come at him too fast and too soon. He needed time to think and digest what he had learned. He didn't understand how he can be a force user or why he had never felt the force before. But one thing was clear, he needed to talk to Luke and he needed to talk to him _now!_ It was at the precise moment that Soren's door opened allowing Luke to enter. Soren looked to Luke and then to where Obi-Wan and Anakin were but they were gone. '_I must have lost my mind_' Soren thought to himself. He couldn't continue down that line of thought however as Luke had something to say and by the look on his face it was serious.

"Soren we have something to talk about."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

phantom-jedi1: Thanks for the input. Yes I'm sure I'm in need of a beta so anyone interested in the position is more than welcome to it just so long as you know what you're doing and can tolerate my various and sudden spats of writers-block. As for the spelling I do use a spell checker however I'm British so certain words are spelt differently, I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience to some but it's how I was taught.

Anyway I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and I hope to have the next one up soon.

**Additional Notes:**

Thanks phantom-jedi1 for clearing that up, grammar isn't my strongest asset when writing however I'll be sure to try, but as I said a beta is more than welcome to fine tune the old spelling/grammatical errors.


	4. Compromises

"Ok, so let me see if I'm hearing this right. I haven't lost my mind, Master Yoda, General Kenobi and your father have retained their individual identities when they became one with the force and now they've decided to pay me a visit so as to tell me that I'm to be a Jedi, like you?"

It had been two hours since Soren had spoken to both Obi-Wan and Anakin and the shock of the encounter was only now wearing off. Luke was currently explaining what he had heard from Master Yoda, another deceased Jedi, who had informed Luke that Soren was in fact force sensitive and if he didn't come to terms with the pain and anger over the events of his life then he would risk going down a dark path he may never be able to return from.

"That's the gist of it yes. I understand that this is a lot to take in at once but it's very important that you come to a decision on what you want to do, I can't force you to come to Yavin IV with me or to be trained as a Jedi but I don't want to see you suffer the same fate as my father, no one should have to go through that." Luke left Soren to his thoughts since there was little else he could do.

When the door to Soren's room closed he was confronted by his worried but rather annoyed sister who'd obviously overheard what he'd told Soren moments before. Leia was obviously not pleased with Luke's suggestion that Soren just drop everything and move to the Jedi Academy with him.

"I don't suppose Obi-Wan, Father and Master Yoda are mistaken about Soren are they?" Luke shook his head negatively and was about to further explain to Leia about how important this was when she interrupted. "Luke, Soren's already been through so much! Losing his parents, being bound to a life support machine and now you want to add another change to his already complicated life by dragging him halfway across the galaxy to become a Jedi?!"

Luke was about to say yes when something Soren had said during their talk came to the forefront of his mind. "Leia, he doesn't have to become a Jedi." Leia looked both confused and sceptical, Luke couldn't blame her. "Soren was as much against it as you are but then he suggested that if he train so he could at least get over his problems then maybe he could carry on with his life. I can't force him to become a Jedi, but if he's willing to be trained so he can confront his demons and begin the healing process then I would feel more secure in the thought that he could live his life without fear of turning to the darkside."

Leia looked to be about to disagree but then thought better of it. If Soren was willing to let Luke train him so he wouldn't have to live in constant fear of his emotions then Leia couldn't very well disagree, however she did have one thing against it.

"Does he have to go to Yavin to be trained? Can't he stay here and learn in a place where he's comfortable and feels safe?" Luke was again about to explain the importance of Jedi training when Leia again stopped him. "I know you'd rather he be around other force sensitive's and I know you need to go back to Yavin, but Luke he's been through so much already and you've been training me of the force when I've only ever been to the academy once and even then I went as an official representative of the New Republic not as a student." She had a point and Luke knew it. He didn't want to disturb Soren's life any further than it already had been, perhaps together they could find a compromise.

"Alright, I'll let him train at home. I'll have everything he needs sent over from Yavin. However during his summer holidays I want him to spent at least a month at the academy. I'll have one of the instructors come round every other month to examine and teach him some of the finer points that he won't be able to learn on his own, however that won't be for some time. I'll stay until he's learned the basics of meditation and how to safely handle his practice lightsabre. After that I'll have to return to Yavin, I've spent too much time away already."

Leia firmly understood Luke's need to return to the academy. It was his responsibility to ensure the survival of the Jedi Order and to train the next generation of Jedi Knights. Just as she, Mon Mothma and the other leaders of the rebellion now had to pick up the pieces of a republic that had been dead for over twenty years, which in itself was a monumental task, Luke had an even greater difficulty of rebuilding an order that has all but been eradicated from official history holos thanks to the empire. It doesn't exactly help that even before the birth of the empire the Jedi Order had been slandered against by some of the more close minded among the senate. Then it was accused of having committed treason against the chancellor the very day the empire was born. She couldn't help but admire how the Jedi had finally seen the truth behind Palpetine's plan, when it had taken years for those in the senate to see the falsehoods behind his so called '_safe and secure society_'.

Leia nodded in acceptance to this plan of action. Luke turned and left to make a few calls so as to put everything into motion. Leia entered Soren's room to tell him about what she and Luke had talked about but found him nowhere in sight and his hyberbaric chamber sealed. '_Obviously wants to be alone for a while and I can't blame him_' Leia thought. She decided to leave him for now, he'd had enough for one day so she'd see what that nerfherder of a husband of hers was up to. Probably playing sabacc with rookie pilots who don't know any better.

* * *

Soren had eventually left his hyperbaric chamber several hours later to seek out more food. 3PO wasn't any help since he was constantly prattling on about a healthy balanced diet. He got a bowl of Bothan Tami'ka Soup and began walking back to his room. Most species avoid bothan food, however Soren discovered not long after arriving at the orphanage that he quite liked the taste of Tami'ka soup, it was one of the only foods he asked Leia to have the droids order when the shopping was to be done. The other reason he liked it so much was because Han couldn't stomach the sight or smell of it which was always an added bonus. 

As he was walking back he noticed a holo laying on side table in the living room, it's main light blinking indicating a pre-recorded message. He stopped, pressed the play button and saw an image of Leia pop into existence.

"_Soren I'm sorry I couldn't wait to tell you in person since I didn't want to disturb you in your chamber but something came up in the senate that needed my attention. I just wanted to tell you that I talked to Luke after he left your room, I know he wants to train you to be a Jedi since he's worried about various Jedi related things. I managed to talk him into letting you stay here to do your training, you won't have to leave or stop going to school. Also he's told me after your training you won't be obligated to become a Jedi, you can carry on living your life as you normally do. He'll have everything you need sent here from Yavin IV. Luke's decided that he'll stay until you've got a grasp on basic meditation techniques and how to handle your lightsabre safely. I hope you don't mind my meddling in things that isn't my business to meddle in but I'm worried about you and I'd rather not disturb your life further by uprooting you and forcing you to move to new planet, besides who else am I going to have help me annoy Han? I'll see you later on tonight, don't stay up too late. Bye!_"

The holo deactivated and silence filled the room once more. Soren just stood there staring at where Leia's holo had been. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to leave and start his life all over again and he didn't really mind Leia talking some sense into Luke, she was a politician after all and probably the only person who could talk sense into Luke. It made him feel...normal, like parents arguing over which school was best for their child. But this way he could have a semi-normal school life and spend most of his free time studying to be a Jedi. That idea appealed to him better than Luke's original plan did. He didn't want to be a Jedi...which shocked him really, he thought he'd crave the excitement a life as a Jedi could bring but in reality he realized that he'd had all the '_excitement_' he could handle with that press conference. Being a Jedi wasn't the life for him, but he would train as one so he could better understand himself and his abilities.

During those two hours with Luke he'd learned the nature of the darkside, how it twisted you, using your pain, anger and hate to chew you up and then spat you out as some creature of darkness. He learned that he would be tempted by the darkside to do something that he would believe would be for good. But he understood that the path to darkness is littered with good intentions. He'd need to be careful and he'd need help to confront his emotional pain. Time to go back into the chamber and think things over.

* * *

_Three days later_

Luke and Leia hadn't seen much of Soren, he'd show up to go to school, come for his meals, complain to 3PO about washing his already 'clean' socks and watch an hour or two of the holo-vision. He'd decided that today he'd take his first steps down the road to recovery.

Soren came out of his room and found Leia sitting on the sofa reading a report about something, probably important senate stuff. He stepped closer to her an noticed her flinch ever so slightly, she was still traumatized from her various encounters with her father over the years but it was better than her reaction when he'd first come up behind her the day after he moved in. She'd spun around grabbed the nearest available object as a weapon and nearly smashed Soren over the head with it. He'd learned to announce his presence since then, but over time they got used to each other and he (_and they_) became comfortable enough to not have to announce his arrival in every room.

Leia looked up from her report to see Soren standing in front of her, he was fidgeting with a pad he was holding in his hands, obviously he had something to say but wasn't sure how to say it. Leia put down the report and sat up, she patted the seat next to her indicating for him to sit next to her and so he did. She waited for him to say what he needed to say, she wouldn't rush him, whatever this was about it was obviously something he needed to say in his own time.

"You probably know I've spent the last three days thinking about everything that Luke told me, I also watched that holo you left me, thank you by the way for talking Luke into letting me stay here." The whole time he was talking he was looking down at the pad in his hands.

"So you're going to learn of the force?" Leia inquired. Soren simply nodded, he then rose his head and turned to look at Leia. He lifted the pad and handed it to her. She took a few seconds to read the first few lines of text before looking up in confusion.

"Those are the names of various psychiatrists and councillors. I've decided that if I'm going to do this then I'll need professional help to come to terms with everything that's happened since my parent's death. I need your help in shortening that list down to one, one that's reliable and competent enough to deal with a patient who reminds everyone of Darth Vader and not go running to the press after my first session."

Leia nodded, she then got a determined look in her eye as if this one task were paramount to the survival of the New Republic itself. Soren knew at that moment Leia was going to pull every string she had to find the best psychiatrist in the known galaxy. It was comforting to know that the people that had taken him in were _willing_ to do anything and everything in their power to help him through this.

"You just leave this with me, you'll have your psychiatrist by Monday." With that she got up and went straight to her office. Soren was a little surprised with the outcome of his conversation with Leia, he'd thought she'd try to council him herself or at least question his reasons for willingly seeking out help due to the recent experience of trying to get Han to see a psychiatrist.

Soren decided that there was little he could do now that it was out of his hands, so he went into the kitchen to get something to drink. He was surprised to see Han leaning against the counter. '_Great_' Soren thought, '_he probably overheard everything and now I'm going to be the butt of every joke for a week._' Again it was out of his hands so he went straight for the refrigerator for some Jawa Juice. He poured his drink in complete silence and replaced the carton in the refrigerator surprisingly Han said nothing the whole time, which in itself was odd since Han wasn't known to be the quiet type so the _even-longer-than-normal_ silence was a bit unnerving to say the least. However all things come to an end and as soon as Soren turned to leave with his drink the silenced ended.

"I heard you and Leia talking." _Well that answered one question, now all I need to know is when the self-help jokes will start. _"You probably noticed that when you arrived I wasn't very...accomidating towards you." _Well thanks for noticing Mr. Obvious._ "Over time I just kind of got used to you being around, but I think hearing you asking for help has opened my eyes towards finally realizing that you're really only fifteen years old and not some tyrannical overlord out for galactic conquest." _Always nice to know what people think of you._ "What I'm getting at is...well...uhhh..." Better put him out of his misery.

"Han, there's no need to explain, lets just start over from scratch, except this time without blasters." Han couldn't help but smile. He stuck out his hand and they both shook on it. It was at that moment that they both came to an understanding, they may not every be the best of friends and they may not agree at times but they'll always be there to support each other no matter what.

Three hours later Leia came out of her office, she'd spent the whole time contacting various assistants and contacts to look into finding a psychiatrist for Soren, so far over two thousand had been turned down for simply not being qualified enough to deal with this level of trauma. Another six hundred turned down for no longer being licensed, which was interesting and would be passed on to the legal department. She'd finally given up for the night and decided to turn in. She walked past the kitchen, stopped, went back and did a double take. Han and Soren were sitting at the kitchen table and they were talking. Not arguing, or making snide comments at each other but talking! She smiled as they both noticed her and stopped. They'd been talking about the Falcon, Han being fartherly and proud of his ship and Soren commenting on how something so old could fly through the Death Star and make the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. They were both staring at her, she simply smiled and walked away, however she and Han were going to have a talk on eavesdropping when he got to bed that night.


End file.
